NEW YORK CITY, February 01 — The men’s 2M was hyped as a clash of the titans at the 118th edition of the Millrose Games, complete with World Record speculation. While a record failed to materialize, the race did not disappoint, with Cole Hocker unleashing his trademark perfectly-timed kick to win a dramatic race in front of a sold-out crowd at the Armory.
The meet also yielded a Сollegiate Record in the 800 for Colin Sahlman and a spirited battle in the meet’s signature race, the climactic Wanamaker Mile, won by 19-year-old Australian Cam Myers.
The deuce had taken a hit with the race-day illness scratch of Grant Fisher, who set a World Indoor Record in the Millrose 3000 last year and was expected to force a pace that might threaten the 8:00.67 WR Josh Kerr set here in ’24. Instead, the tempo was much lighter with rabbit Ben Allen hitting the mile in 4:07.29. Hocker (4:07.61) was right on his heels, happily riding the rail.
“It seemed like everyone here wanted to race and I think that’s what happens when you get together this kind of talent,” said Hocker, the ’24 Olympic 1500 gold medalist and ’25 world champion in the 5000. “People want to win, they don’t want to race against the clock. Everyone wants to run fast, but what took precedence was to beat your competitors today.”
Half a lap later, ’25 NCAA cross country champion Habtom Samuel moved in front of Hocker and was soon in the lead when Allen stepped off. Graham Blanks, a 2-time NCAA XC champ, took over at 2300m and tried to drain the kick out of the field. Kerr had other ideas and was in the lead at 3000 (7:37.34).
Parker Wolfe, who won the U.S. cross country title in December and finished 12th at World Cross 3 weeks ago, took his shot and assumed the lead 100m from the finish. Hocker, boxed in at the bell, had been patiently clearing traffic and moved to the front coming off the final curve, looking over both shoulders before crossing the line in 8:07.31, still a quick time (thanks to a 3:59.70 second half). Kerr (8:07.68) passed Wolfe (8:07.83) late for 2nd, with Ky Robinson (8:08.40), world steeplechase champion Geordie Beamish (8:08.58) and Blanks (8:08.60) in their wake.
“I wanted to win these first 14 laps with my head and then see what I had with my body the last two. I think did that really well,” said Hocker, who won at Millrose for the first time in his career. “I wanted to be the last person to move today.”
The 800 was expected to be a tussle between Donavan Brazier (a world outdoor champion), Bryce Hoppel (a world indoor champion) and Mohamed Attaoui, who finished 5th at both the ’25 World Championships and ’24 Olympics. But it was Sahlman, the 22-year-old Northern Arizona senior who rose to the challenge, moving up steadily over the last two laps and passing the Spaniard 30m from the tape.
“I was telling myself all week ‘I belong in that field.’ I told myself so much that I ended up believing it,” said Sahlman, who had finished only 4th in a low-key mile race (3:55.66) at Liberty in Virginia two days earlier.
His winning time took down one of the longest-standing Collegiate Records, the 1:44.84 set by Virginia’s Paul Ereng in ’89 (months after winning gold at the Seoul Olympics). It also put Sahlman at No. 5 on the U.S. all-time indoor list.
“There have been so many great 800-meter runners in the NCAA for so long and to be the fastest now indoors is quite special,” said Sahlman, who has shown remarkable range (he’s run 3:52.82 for the mile and was 16th in the NCAA cross 10K race last fall) but has taken to the 800. He set his previous PR of 1:44.80 in the USATF semis last year, advancing to the final (where he placed 9th). “Since the summer last year I started to fall in love with this event,” he said.
Attaoui (1:44.98) took 2nd, followed by Great Britain’s Ben Pattinson (1:45.53) and Brazier (1:45.63).
In the final event of the evening, Yared Nuguse was looking for his fourth straight Wanamaker Mile title. He was well positioned throughout the race, which went out at a swift pace: 56.51 at the quarter and 1:52.51 at halfway for pacer Abe Alvarado. But the third quarter slowed, which kept the field bunched together.
Myers took the lead just before 1300m and had little trouble holding off Nuguse and Hobbs Kessler. The Aussie covered the segment from 1500 to 1600 in 13.52, and finished in 3:47.57, a tick slower than the 3:47.48 PR he ran to finish 3rd at last year’s Millrose.
“That first 800 was just a touch too quick for me so I let a little gap open and Yared filled it,” said Myers. “And I was able to come good once they slowed the pace, which I knew was gonna happen when you go out a bit hard.”
Nuguse (3:48.31) took 2nd, while Kessler (3:48.68) barely held off Nico Young (3:48.72).
Cooper Lutkenhaus, still an 11th grader (but now running as a pro), won the 600 in 1:14.15. A World Junior (U20) Record, the time moved him to No. 5 on the all-time list. Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake (6.55) was a comfortable winner of the 60, while world 110H champion Cordell Tinch took the 60H in 7.52, bouncing back from a rough showing in Boston a week earlier.
Olympic bronze medalist Rajindra Campbell won the shot — the sole men’s field event on the program — with a fifth-round heave of 71-5¼ (21.77), well clear of Joe Kovacs, who threw 69-7 (21.21) in his first indoor meet since ’23.
MILLROSE GAMES MEN’S RESULTS
60: 1. Ackeem Blake (Jam) 6.55; 2. Eloy Benitez (PR) 6.60; 3. Jordan Anthony (US) 6.64; 4. Miles Lewis (PR) 6.66; 5. Bryan Levell (Jam) 6.66; 6. Jake Odey-Jordan (GB) 6.70; 7. T’Mars McCallum (US) 6.71.
600: 1. Cooper Lutkenhaus (US) 1:14.15 WJR, AJR (old records 1:15:49 Brandon Miller [Ar] ’21) (5, 6 W, A) (in/out: =8, =11 A);
2. Jenoah McKiver (US) 1:14.77 PR (7, 10 W, A);
3. Isaiah Jewett (US) 1:15.48; 4. Luciano Fiore (US) 1:17.43; 5. John Rivera (PR) 1:17.67.
800: 1. Colin Sahlman (NnAz) 1:44.70 CR, AmCR (old CR 1:44.84 Paul Ereng’ [Va] ’89; old AmCR 1:45.21 Tinoda Matsatsa[Gtn] ’25) (5, 10 A) (25.84, 25.87 [51.71], 26.67 [1:18.38], 26.32 (51.71/52.99);
2. Mohamed Attaoui (Spa) 1:44.98 PR; 3. Ben Pattison (GB) 1:45.53 PR; 4. Donavan Brazier (US) 1:45.63; 5. Bryce Hoppel (US) 1:47.01; 6. Shane Cohen (US) 1:49.37;… rabbit—Hazem Miawad (Egy) (24.33, 26.51 [50.84]).
Mile: 1. Cam Myers (Aus) 3:47.57 (x, 9 W) 3:32.78) (56.95, 56.43 [1:53.38], 58.17 [2:51.55], 56.02);
2. Yared Nuguse (US) 3:48.31 (x, 6 A) (3:33.07 [x, 5 A] (57.06, 56.40 [1:53.46], 57.99 [2:51.45], 56.86);
3. Hobbs Kessler (US) 3:48.68 (x, 9 A) (3:32.99 [x, 4 A) (57.35, 56.47 [1:53.82], 58.16 [2:51.98], 56.70);
4. Nico Young (US) 3:48.72 PR (9, x W; 4, 10 A) (in/out: 9, x A] (3:33.98 [7, x A]) (58.16, 56.69 [1:54.85], 58.01 [2:52.86], 55.86);
5. Andrew Coscoran (Ire) 3:49.54 (3:33.55); 6. Festus Lagat (Ken) 3:50.94 PR (3:35.20 PR); 7. Robert Farken (Ger) 3:51.07 (3:34.25); 8. Gary Martin (US) 3:52.62 (3:35.60); 9. Olli Hoare (Aus) 3:53.69 (3:36.73)… rabbit—Abe Alvarado (US) (56.51, 1:52.51).
2M: 1. Cole Hocker (US) 8:07.31 (x, 3 A) (7:37.57)(60.03, 61.33 [2:01.36], 62.63 [3:03.99], 63.62 [4:07.61], 61.53 [5:09.14], 61.54 [6:10.68], 60.18 [7:10.86], 56.45) (4:07.61/3:59.70);
2. Josh Kerr (GB) 8:07.68 (4:07.85/3:59.83) (7:37.74);
3. Parker Wolfe (US) 8:07.83 PR (4, 5 A) (4:08.26/3:59.57) (7:37.53);
4. Ky Robinson (Aus) 8:08.40 NR (7:37.88); 5. Geordie Beamish (NZ) 8:08.58 (7:39.22);
6. Graham Blanks (US) 8:08.60 PR (5, 6 A) (7:37.51);
7. Cooper Teare (US) 8:08.91 PR (6, 7 A) (7:38.16); 8. Drew Hunter (US) 8:10.91 PR (8, x A) (7:39.94);
9. *Habtom Samuel’ (NM-Eri) 8:11.47 CR (old CR 8:18.3 Henry Rono’ [WaSt] ’78) (7:39.62);
10. Edwin Kurgat (Ken) 8:11.89 PR (7:38.86 PR); 11. Ethan Strand (US) 8:15.93 PR (7:41.28); 12. Jake Wightman (GB) 8:20.15 PR (7:42.64);… rabbit—Ben Allen (US) (59.79, 2:00.90, 3:03.76, 4:07.29, 5:08.89).
60H: 1. Cordell Tinch (US) 7.52; 2. Connor Schulman (US) 7.57; 3. Daniel Roberts (US) 7.61; 4. Christopher Serrao (US) 7.69; 5. Cameron Murray (US) 7.69; 6. Dylan Beard (US) 7.69; 7. Edward Williams (US) 7.81; 8. Jamal Britt (US) 8.26.
Field Events
SP: 1. Rajindra Campbell (Jam) 71-5¼ (21.77) (68-9¼, f, f, f, 71-5¼, 67-3¼) (20.96, f, f, f, 21.77, 20.50); 2. Joe Kovacs (US) 69-7 (21.21); 3. Chuk Enekwechi (Ngr) 67-8¼ (20.63); 4. Roger Steen (US) 66-7¼ (20.30); 5. Josh Awotunde (US) 65-1½ (19.85).
Wt: 1. Michael Pinckney (US) 69-2¾ (21.10); 2. Evangelos Fradelakis (US) 68-¼ (20.73).
